Early Napa Vintages

By Iginio Fontana

This book shares the biographies of five ordinary men, forgotten by many, whose lives and work made an impact on the early history of wine and viticulture of the Napa Valley.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 17, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465385840

Iginio Fontana

About the Author Iginio Fontana is a retired teacher. He has a BA in philosophy, an MA in Education, and an AS in Viticulture. He has written many articles for several newspapers.

Book preview

Copyright © 2011 by Iginio Fontana.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011918976

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-8583-3

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-8582-6

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-8584-0

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

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Contents

Acknowledgment

Chapter 1 Introductions

Part 1 Introduction to the Book

Part 2 Introduction to the Land

Chapter 2 John Moyer Patchett The Man Whom History Forgot

Part 1 A Haze over the Kindling

Part 2 The Lighting of the Fire

Part 3 The Flickering Flame

Part 4 The Cooling Embers

Chapter 3 George Belden Crane The Wine Doctor

Part 1 First, the Doctor

Part 2 Then, the Wine

Part 3 The Blending

Part 4 The Lees

Chapter 4 Gottlieb Groezinger The Wine Composer

Part 1 The Overture

Part 2 The Symphony

Part 3 The Cacophony

Part 4 The Lingering Melody

Chapter 5 James H. Goodman and George E. Goodman Eschol

Part 1 The Tree and Its Branches

Part 2 A Particular Branch, Eshcol

Part 3 The Roots of the Trees

Part 4 The Shade of the Tree

Chapter 6 John York The Energetic Farmer

Part 1 The Journey

Part 2 The Restless Times

Part 3 The Settling Down

Part 4 The Legacy

Appendix Sources and Materials for Further Reading and Studying

Part 1: Books, Magazines, Articles, Pamphlets, Manuscripts and Web Sites

Part 2: Newspapers

Part 3: Organizations and Places

Part 4: Primary Sources: Documents

Appendix A Related Photos and Images

Acknowledgment

It is a truism that very little that anyone does is done alone. This fact is especially true of a book like this. The long hours were reinforced by support from my daughters, Elizabeth and Madison Crocker.

Included in this group are also many friends who contributed to various ways. Among those who should be mentioned especially are Trudy Brutsche who assisted me in numerous ways. She reviewed my writing patiently; we discussed some of the elements of what was written. I am most grateful to her for helping me become friends with my computer.

Included in helpful friend is Cathy Small who assisted me in organizing the material for publication.

Another important help was Mary Jean McLaughlin. As then manager of the Napa County Record Center, she spent much time obtaining files that I needed. Too, she discovered records that I did not know existed. Thanks to Stephen Andrews, the then Director of Marketing and Public Relations of Vintage 1870. He obtained some unpublished documents about Yountville, which he shared with me and which filled in some of the gaps in my research.

Janet Trefethen of Trefethen Vineyards and Winery, graciously supplied time, information and photographs of the past of her winery.

Another source of information from Trefethen Vineyards and Winery came from an old friend, Steve Baldini, then assistant manager of the Trefethen complex. He brought my research up to date by providing me with recent developments of the property.

Another source of assistance came from the First Presbyterian Church in Napa, through one of its members, Mildred Poarch.

The public sector contributed information through Sandy Saunders of the City Attorney’s office of the City of Napa. Her persistent search of old files brought out some forgotten documents which contained interesting and unexpected results.

Deep appreciation is due to Susanne and Ed Salvestrin of St. Helena, California. Not only did they offer material such as letters and photographs about George Belden Crane and his time, they also were willing to share their time to discuss their research about the historic people and the area.

John York of St. Helena, California, deserves special gratitude for his time and sharing of his knowledge about his ancestor and the many photographs which appear in this book.

Chapter 1

Introductions

"Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita

Mi ritrovai per una selva oscura."

Dante Alighieri, La Divina Commedia,

Inferno, Canto I, Argomento, Line 1

(In the middle of the road of our life,

I found myself in a dark forest.)

Part 1

Introduction to the Book

This book had its seeds in the classroom. In 1970, Shearer School in the City of Napa, California, had declining enrollment as did so many other schools of that year. This change in the number of students meant a change in assignment from fourth grade to third grade. It also meant a new curriculum. The new curriculum included Social Studies, which meant a study of the history of the Napa Valley. The only text available at that time was a short photocopied book by R. E. Mara, entitled Tal-A-Ha-Lu-Si, which means Beautiful Land in the language of the local native Californian. More resource material was needed to enrich the program, but the search for the same led nowhere. Over the years, names began to be recognized as they appeared here and there, in winery newsletters, newspaper articles and in brochures. Names became familiar as they popped up in leaflets, advertising, wine and agricultural events. These pioneers came and went like ghosts in historical haunted houses. They had to have bodies, and these bodies must have had families and friends. Their lives must have embraced more than those brief facts that made them outstanding.

Retirement from teaching in the elementary school classroom on June 9, 1995, provided the opportunity to pursue the search for these hidden pioneers. The opportunity arose to write a column for the then weekly, Napa County Record. The column was the historical Vintage Valley Views. The editor allowed the choice of subject. The choice was the biographies of several Napa Valley pioneers.

At first, one issue of the newspaper seemed sufficient to cover a biography. However, as time went on, the biography extended to two, then three issues. Quickly, the realization came that justice could not be done to the lives of these people in this forum. Also, it became evident that more time and effort were needed to delve more deeply into research if these people were to be described more adequately.

The historical column was stopped, and other areas became topics for journalism. However, work in the history of local pioneers continued. Six names were chosen from the historical articles, and new rummaging and inquires followed. New people were interviewed. New sources of information were uncovered. New places which were part of the lives of those written here, were discovered and visited.

These biographies are based as much as possible on these primary sources, that is, the letters, wills, other legal documents, tombstones and photographs, uncovered in the research of many years. Secondary sources, such as historical books, newspaper articles and columns, and similar founts of data, are used to fill the gaps and to clothe these men with history, their environment and other elements which make up the lives of people. This book tries to relive as much as possible the history of these people, with all the emotions and sentiments as well as the facts of their existence.

These biographies have been written for the casual and yet curious reader. Therefore, footnotes and grocery lists of names and dates have been omitted. The object of this writing is to view these men and their families in the context of their lives.

However, the scholar has not been forgotten. The Appendix at the end of the book includes the sources of information. Listed are the places visited, places which played a part in the lives of these men. Also, gathered here are the lists of legal documents such as wills, contracts, civil suits and the like which affected the people of these biographies, the official archives involved in their day-to-day lives.

Here, history is approached as a collection of parts. Not only what a person did or said comprises his biography and his history, but also, one must consider the political, social and the various other structures which clothe his life and choices. It is for this reason that included in the Appendix are some printed materials which provide the scenery for the dramas of the lives of these pioneers.

In 1999, the material for this book was completed and copyrighted. In 2004,the existing material was expanded and copyrighted. Other developments especially beyond these dates is excluded intentionally.

Part 2

Introduction to the Land

The early settlers found the Napa Valley a wilderness, a land whose valley floor was sprinkled with oaks and whose embracing hillsides were overlain with redwood trees. Its inhabitants were native Californians, a people whom the early settlers called Wappo in the north, and another group in the south whom they called the River Patwin, a family of the Wintun tribe. The early pioneers were isolated from the rest of the world except for a dirt trail which led over the Mayacamas Mountains to the west to the small village of Sonoma. In the earliest days, the grand highway for the new settlers was the Napa River. In the late 1840’s, a wharf was built a short distance from the section, pictured on the cover of this book. For many decades, this dock provided the doorway to the more urbane world, where people embanked for San Francisco and other ports, and as farmers shipped their produce and winemakers their barrels of wine.

While the photograph on the cover is a recent one, yet, it illustrates the pristine beauty of the Napa River, perhaps how the Wappo and the early explorers and settlers saw it. This spot is upstream from the City of Napa where the wharf was built in the early days.

Chapter 2

John Moyer Patchett

The Man Whom History Forgot

"Let the farmer forevermore be honored in his calling,

for they who labor in the earth are the

chosen people of God". Thomas Jefferson

Part 1

A Haze over the Kindling

John Moyer Patchett was a man whom history stuck in its back pocket and promptly forgot. In a valley that would become famous, Patchett was in the right place at the right time. He was the first man to produce wine commercially in the Napa Valley. He built the first winery and cellar in the valley. He helped several men become involved in the wine industry in the valley. Among these was Charles Krug who was his wine